Love Him More - Luke 15:11-24

Through bible, we can clearly see that He does really loves us whatever the condition & situation.
At John 2:17b Jesus said that His love for the House Of God (It is our life) has burnt Him.
That means that He loves us so much and even He can't stand to bless our lives.

Let us now refresh all the goodness He has done to our lives and you can write them down into your notes.
He is our Father and you can imagine how is Father's heart ..

Father's Heart :
1. Love & Mercy
Suatu kali hiduplah seorang pelukis dari China. Ia diminta untuk melukis adegan dari ayat 20. Dikatakan dalam nats tersebut, bahwa sang ayah berlari mendapatkan anaknya walaupun anak tersebut masih terlihat jauh. Sang pelukis China diminta untuk melukiskan adegan tersebut. Lukisan pertama menggambarkan sang ayah berdiri dengan tegap, tangan terlipat dan memandang tajam ke arah kejauhan. Lukisan ini ditolak, karena dianggap tidak sesuai dengan nats. Setelah beberapa kali dilukis, akhirnya sang pelukis China melukiskan sang ayah sebagai berikut: seorang bapa tua yang sedang berlari, jubah pakaiannya terjulur ke belakang karena berlari cepat. Namun ada yang menarik: sepatu yang dikenakan sang ayah, yang satu warna merah, yang lainnya kuning. Rupayanya sang pelukis sedang menggambarkan, kerinduan dan cinta sang ayah kepada anaknya yang begitu besar, sehingga sang ayah tidak peduli lagi sepatu apa/siapa/bagaimana yang ia kenakan, asalkan ia bisa segera berlari mendapatkan anaknya kembali. Sang ayah tidak peduli mungkin ditertawakan karyawannya atau ditertawakan orang lain karena sepatunya berantakan, asalkan ia dapat memeluk kembali anaknya.** Saudaraku, demikianlah BAPA kita mencintai kita. IA tidak peduli apa yang akan orang katakan, IA tidak peduli apa komentar iblis, yang IA pedulikan adalah bahwa IA amat mencintai Anda. Yang IA pedulikan adalah bahwa ketika kita mau bertobat dari gaya hidup kita yang jahat, maka BAPA siap mengampuni dan memulihkan kita. TUHAN kita bahkan memberikan nyawaNYA untuk kita. Sebesar itulah cintaNYA kepada kita.

2. Give the best
The Father shared His living - verse 12.

3. Forgiveness
Forgiveness will always restore somebody's broken life.


There is one fact that Father always has desire to receive responds from us.
When we love Him more in our lives, then He will bless us more and more - that is Father's Heart.

So, what we can do to increase our loves to Him ?

1. Remember His Loving Kindness to us and always giving thanks to Him.
It is a prove of our belief in Him as Father. 1 Tes 5:18

2. Have a relationship with Him.
Good deeds will not make Father proud of without relationship. Because our good deeds are not perfect in His sight. Father - Son is always talking about relationship. Psalms 84:11

3. Live in & be fruitful of LOVE.
John 15:9-17

4. Live in His Vision
To do His Will is everything. Matt 6:33

Amin.

To Keep Our Heart & Mind - Phil 4:4-7

This book of Philiphi is very unique because every chapter contains of the word JOY.

Chapter 1 contains of Joy in suffering.
Chapter 2 contains of Joy in serving.
Chapter 3 contains of Joy in believing.
Chapter 4 contains of Joy in blessing.

There are several kind of Joy that men can have :
1. Physically Joy -- It happens when physically needs are provided (money, health, etc)
2. Joy in Soul -- We could experience it when somebody understand us. We feel comfort, save and sound.
3. Joy in Spirit -- It is the Joy that comes from the heart. It doesn't depend on situation & condition.


Why must we keep our heart & mind ?
Because life is a grace. It was a gift form the first time God created Adam.
Life is created from nothing.. because of His charity..

But so many christian can not find or realize that life is a gift that is supposed to be a blessing for us.
This is what devil does .. to steal, to kill, and to destroy.
You can imagine, life that is created to become a grace for people.. now become a death.

God wants us to enjoy the lives He has given to us. Jesus clearly stated on Mat 11:28-30. He wants us to carry His burden that will give us a hope, not worldly burden that gives people heavy lives.

Heb 4:15-16 teach us how to face pressures & challenges in our lives.


For Discussion :

Share your life style that you want to build in order to keep your heart & mind in JOY and share your life style that you commit to destroy because they hinder you from living in JOY.

USE OUR TIME WISELY -- Psalms 90:12

There are at least 3 concept people have about time in this earth.

1. TIME IS CIRCLING LIKE THE EARTH
It is like a concept of reincarnation and sometime makes some people are hesitant to repent and even to accept the God's Truth.

Usually used by old century east people.

2. TIME IS MONEY
It is a west concept of money. Maybe some of you know "utilitarianism" concept. People with this concept will use their time for their own sake. Even this kind of concept is used by some utilitarian christian that want to use their time to serve God if it will gain profit for them.

3. TIME IS A CHANCE
It is the common one. People with this concept will learn to live wisely (according to their point of view) not to leave every opportunity.


We can see that how people see about time will effect their way of lives.
How should we define TIME according to the Bible :

1. TIME is a God's Blessing for Us to receive immortality. You see the first time God created time, He made it for Adam so that Adam can do something in time - it was a grace chance for Adam to receive immortality - being God's partner. Jesus also impress this kind of truth in His illustration of TALENT. Take note that actually the time given to these 3 people were a grace chance for them to receive immortal prosperity. Only 2 of them realize this grace of time. If we realize this truth, then we will believe that every single time God has given to us, even will be given to us - They are all grace from God and He will make all things beautiful in His Time -- Ecc 3:11
2. ALL People will be responsible for what they did in their time. Eph 5:16 Rev 20:12.

FOR DISCUSSION

• After knowing this truth, what plannings you are going to do to be wise in using your time ? Share them to your group.
  

RENEW YOUR HEART - 1 Sam 1 : 1-18

What is LIFE ?
Many Groups translate this word "LIFE" in different point of view..

Some people say Life is STRUGGLE. They commit their lives to struggle and they find satisfaction when they have passed every struggles with victory.

Some say Life is OPPORTUNITY. They use their time wisely because they know that everything they face is an opportunity.

Some say Life is COZINESS. Therefore they are always follow their desire to gain pleasures.

And Even Some say Life is DISASTER. We will know that mostly they are people that live in their terrible past time.


Whatever They are, we should know that we are always surrounded by worldly concept and even most of the time we face situation, condition, and environment which are able to pollute our spiritual lives.

2 Cor 7 :1 says that we must be careful for every physical and spiritual pollutions which live near us.

Our heart is just like a store house. Many people have a wrong concept of store house. They use a store house to keep "Rubbish", hence when this store house is already full with this rubbish, then no space anymore for worth things.

The application is if we keep rubbish (situation, sentences, condition that corrupt our spiritual lives) in our heart, then there will be no space anymore for Good Things from Above / Jesus. We cannot see His grace He has given to us anymore.

The fact is everyday there are always people throw away their rubbish to us, maybe the want to release their anger or disappoint by hurting our heart, etc.
And every time we deal with 2 options, either keeping the rubbish in our heart or throwing them to Garbage Basket.



FOR SHARING

• Pray to the Holy Spirit to enlight your heart to see every rubbish we have kept in our heart. Ask for His Forgiveness and after that share it to your group. Tell them your commitment and ask for their prayer.

ABSORB LIKE A BEE -- Psalm 19 : 7-14

Most of the time people likes butterflies than bees. But right now we want to learn something about their way to absorb honey from flowers.

Butterflies like to absorb only the top layer of the honey in a flower and They are always satisfied with it. But bees stay a long time on the flower to absorb all the honey contained in a flower. They are very patient and sure eat until last the last drop, they will be never satisfied until they finished eat all the honey.

One thing we must know, when cold season comes butterflies will die in famines but bees will survive because oh the honey. They still have power inside their bodies.

What can we learn form this fact?
Are we counted as a bee christian or a butterfly christian in term of eating the Words of God?

Well, we can see that a bee christian will survive when "hard times" come but a butterfly Christians which are always satisfied only know the surface of the Truth will not survive when "hard times" come.


FOR DISCUSSION

How should we absorb the truth of The Words of God ?

• Bees always look for honey together as one group. This is actually the way we should learn the bible. We need a fellowship. We need a community to know the whole truth of the bible.
  
• It takes Time. We need to have patience and persistence to know the Truth.
• Having a desire like a bee. It is very important. If we do not have that desire, we must ask Holy Spirit for it and He will give it to us as we walk in faith.